Disgusting bodycam shows vile cop's bullying of terrified black teen that forced him to resign before he could be fired
Disturbing body camera footage revealed a disgraced police officer harassing a young Black man, an incident that ultimately led to the officer's resignation before he could be formally terminated.
Lawrence Rivers, 18, was driving by himself when he was pulled over by the Bloomingdale police officer in Bloomingdale, Georgia, a suburb outside of Savannah.
Body camera footage obtained by local NBC affiliate WSAV showed the teenager appear visibly scared in the driver's seat as cop Ashton Tatum screamed at him to 'Get out of the f***ing car.'
Rivers told Tatum that he didn't have a gun on him, and the former officer threatened that he would 'break' the driver's wrists.
The teen said he couldn't get out of the car, and Tatum fired back, 'You don't know how to get the f**** out of the car?'
'You’re 18? You’re going to jail,' Tatum said at one point in the video.
The officer then forced Rivers out of the car and continued to accost him before handcuffing him on the ground.
Rivers was initially pulled over for alleged road racing, but the charges were later dropped.
Lawrence Rivers, 18, was pulled over and accosted by a former police officer in June
Shocking body camera footage revealed that Ashton Tatum threatened to 'break' the teen's wrists
Rivers (middle) and his parents, Lawrence Sr and Regina, spoke to local news about the horrifying incident
The department conducted an internal investigation, obtained by WSAV, and determined that Tatum's actions violated department policy and constituted excessive force.
It was recommended that Tatum should be terminated and take anger management courses for his 'overly aggressive' behavior in 'multiple cases.'
Instead, Tatum resigned. His record revealed a troubling history, as he was previously fired from four positions, including with the county sheriff's office and a neighboring police department.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Bloomingdale Police Department for comment.
Rivers' mother, Regina Ready, is calling for justice after her son's terrifying encounter.
'Falsely accusing him of racing, you pulled out your gun before putting your car in park, put a gun to my child's head, called him an idiot, and used all the racial slurs,' she wrote on Facebook.
Rivers said he's had a lot of sleepless nights and wants accountability for what happened to him
The officer who pulled Rivers over resigned after an internal review recommended his termination
'This officer, who is supposed to serve and protect, failed my child that night and has caused so much pain. We won't stop fighting until justice is served.'
Rivers emotionally recounted the terrifying incident, revealing that he thought he was going to die when the officer yelled at him.
'It was a lot to take in. Like why me? why did I deserve that?' he told WSAV.
'It’s been a lot of sleepless nights, waking up in cold sweats, and nightmares. I just want everything to be handled accordingly.'
